1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to network administration, and more particularly to a network administration system and a method of reducing a failure probability in components constituting a mobile communication network, by re-arranging network resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
In these days, there is a remarkable need for mobile communication. Since data communication service had been commenced, traffic in a network is increasing and increasing. With such increase in traffic, it becomes more and more difficult for a network administrator to properly administrate a network in comparison with an existing fixed network.
A network administrator usually estimates an increase in traffic, based on everyday data and his/her experience. A network administrator further identifies a cell site to which traffic is concentrated, and arrange maintenance personnel and optimize communication lines, based on his/her experience. Hence, it is quite difficult to estimate failures in a component or components constituting a cell cite to which traffic is concentrated, and resultingly, a network administrator deals with a failure when it actually occurs.
As a system for detecting a failure in such component or components, there have been suggested a system in which a mobile communication network makes an alarm when a failure occurs, a system in which traffic data is monitored for predetermined period of time to thereby estimate a failure in a mobile communication network, and an expert system in which artificial intelligence is used for diagnosing a component or components constituting a cell cite.
In the expert system, functions of components constituting a cell site are input into artificial intelligence so that the artificial intelligence studies a solution to repair the components when they go out of order. Such a solution as well as a component in failure is informed to a network administrator.
The above-mentioned systems provide merely solutions to failures which occurred in a mobile communication network. Hence, in accordance with the systems, even if a network administrator can estimate that a failure will occur in a certain component in a mobile communication network because of traffic concentration, based on his/her experiences, he/she cannot do anything to such a failure until it does actually occur.
In addition, the expert system is accompanied with problems that it takes much time to input functions of components into artificial intelligence, and that an accuracy with which causes of a failure are detected is deteriorated in dependence on what artificial intelligence studies.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-256120 has suggested a method of detecting a failure in a mobile communication system including a base station which makes radio signal communication with mobile terminals, and a monitor station which makes communication with the base station through an exchange station, including the steps of collecting data a call processing alarm made in radio communication between the mobile terminal and the base station, at the monitor station through the exchange station, retrieving the collected call processing alarm, comparing the number of call processing alarms collected in a certain period of time, to a threshold value, and judging, when the number exceeds the threshold value, that a failure occurs at a site from which the call processing alarm is transmitted.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-186953 has suggested a method of monitoring a frequency in mobile communication systems sharing the same frequency bands. In the method, a base station increases a zone to be monitored by the base station, based on frequency data detected by a mobile terminal registered in the base station. A supervisor base station monitors a frequency resource in the mobile communication system at real-time, based on both frequency resource data provided by the base station and the frequency data provided by the mobile terminal.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-150754 has suggested a method of reducing a difference in quality of communication made between base stations which difference is caused by non-uniformity in traffic.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-107918 has suggested a method of connecting a mobile communication terminal to a network to which a plurality of data processors, network devices and access points are connected. In the method, the mobile communication terminal stores therein data about whether the mobile communication terminal can be connected to an access point, and about status of connection. The mobile communication terminal transmits the data to a data processor which administrates the network, each time the mobile communication terminal is connected to the network. The data processor stores data transmitted from the mobile communication terminals, and transmits tabulation of the data to a mobile communication terminal when the mobile communication terminal is connected to the network. A user of a mobile communication terminal selects an access point, based on the tabulation of the data, and connects his/her mobile communication terminal to the network through the thus selected access point.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2986998 has suggested a method of varying a communication zone in a mobile communication network including a plurality of radio signal base stations, a mobile station which makes radio signal communication with one of the radio signal base stations, and a base station controller which controls the base stations. In the method, the base station controller determines whether each of the base stations operates or not, based on traffic in a communication zone covered by each of the radio signal base stations. The base station controller further determines a size of a communication zone to be covered by a radio signal base station which was determined to operate, in dependence on operation of the rest of the radio signal base stations.